Monday, August 03, 2009

I have since talked with a Verizon rep, he came to my house last week, asking about Fios and if I would be interested. So I decided to ask him my questions about it. The Rep actually explained to me the cost of all three services (Phone, Internet and TV). I asked whether or not the phone is VoIP and if the TV was DirectTV (I currently have DishNetwork). I asked this because I have not cared for what DirectTV offers and their customer service. In short, all three would actually save me about $50 dollars a month, compared to what I am spending now on these three separately.

The Phone is not VoIP, which is a plus, I do not care for it. I have several friends with this service, through different vendors/companies and they have had a few problems while talking with me on the phone. Mainly small issues, but none the less they are very distracting when having a conversation for a couple hours and the phone goes in an out. So I am taking the Reps word for it that it is not VoIP. I've also checked the Verizon site and did not see anything about VoIP service (unless I missed, then please let me know).

The TV, now this was explained to me by the Rep to be Verizon's service and not DirectTV (as it was previously), and that ALL channels are included in the price along with getting the DVR, and being able to watch anything recorded in any room (this is 4 rooms for me). So this is a plus and a plus.

As for the Internet, I do not have any qualms about it. It will be faster than my current 768kbs now. So this is a plus.

So, After spending some time with the Rep I proceed to setup a time for the Fios tech to come out and run the Fiber from the street to my house, this and all other setups are free/waved. Being that the Rep informed me that they are trying to get current and new customers updated to Fios, so they can do a mass install in the same area, rather than jumping from area to area. At this point the Rep calls in and talks to another Rep for ordering this service and setting up the time. After we set the date and time, we continue to order the service. While on the phone the rep informs me that I order could not be processed, due to my bill not being up to date and current, I informed him that it is and would be glad to give him a confermation number. The next item on hand was that they would need a $400.00 deposit on the TV hardware. What??? $400.00, for a deposit on the hardware, DishNetwork never asked for one, why should I? And it's not like I am a new customer, I am going on 6+ years with Verizon. The Rep informs me that all he would need is a credit card to place the hold of $400.00 on to and it would be removed after 10 months. Really, I then asked that I could not as I do not use Credit Cards, only Bank ATM/Credit Cards. Most people know that when you use the VISA/MASTERCARD side of the cards you are charged directly from your Bank account, thus withdrawing said amount from your bank, of course it will be put back in 10 months. I explained this issue I have to him, and he insisted that it would not be removed from my account, I explained to him that it would be the case. I know this from renting a car, they do the same thing. I asked why do they do this, it's not like I was going to be leaving any time soon and take the hardware with me. I asked how many people actually continue when they are told about the deposit, and he said and I quote "No one does." He said that he has lost the majority of his sign ups because of the deposits needed.

I ask the Rep to go ahead and cancel the order and to contact me again last week to talk about getting rid of the deposit and I would sign up. I have yet to heard back from them, and generally I have a few calls a week from Verizon about signing up with FiOS.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

I've twittered a little bit about this, you can read that here: https://twitter.com/hosehead78 .Also, it has been a long time since I posted on my blog, sorry if anyone was actually reading this, or even still reading this. Busy lately and haven't had the time to post anything worth while, but now I am. So here it is...

So, is upgrading to Verizon FiOS Internet (15 Mbps/5Mbps) and their phone Freedom and getting the "Free" laptop worth it?Well, so far I have figured, my normal phone bill is $54.99 (not including any taxes they add) and my internet is $21.99, a total of $76.98, then add about 15 for taxes (added from home phone), so my monthly is usually about $91.98. So, in all I figure the bundle will cost me $ 79.99 a month plus maybe the same for taxes ($15), puts it at about $ 94.99. Thats almost 3 bucks more than what I pay now, but, I'll have the 15 Mbps/5Mbps internet speed and the "Free" laptop.

My next question is, Is the laptop worth getting it for "Free". I talked to a rep about it and the rep stated that I would have to add 14.95 for shipping (not a problem) and add the wireless card for plus a month charge for the wireless service. Mind you I asked, what if I only use the wireless at home, do I still need the card? Of course, the answer was Yes. The laptop that is offered is a Compaq Mini 110. I've checked the net for this laptop and see that it is not the same as what Compaq/HP has on their site, of course that is pretty much obvious. They are not going to give you a really good laptop for nothing.

So, is it worth the time and effort to switch? I don't even know how the service is for the phone. I am guessing that it is Voice Over IP. It does not state if it is or not, I would think it would say that it is. I still need to look into this part.

All in all, I think it is worth it somewhat, I get a faster internet speed, new router and setup crap, of course I can do on my own anyhow. The other perk is the laptop, regardless the wireless thing, well more so the cost of wireless plan to use anywhere.

I'll be posting more here or on my twitter account about this, please let me know what your option is and what not.